Koval Barrel Aged Gin Review, £47

Koval Distillery well and truly brought distilling back to Chicago when they opened in 2008.

Started by husband and wife team, Robert and Sonat Birnecker, Koval was the first distillery I the city in over 100 years.

They were founded from a desire to start a family business, but also to bring over the traditions that Robert had grown up with in Austria.

His family have been distilling fruit cider for several generations, and his grandparents own an award-winning distillery.

So it should come as no surprise that within a few years of opening Koval, it quickly picked up many awards for their products, predominantly their Whisky.

They are dedicated to producing the best spirits and use onlythe highest quality ingredients, including organic grain from the Midwest and water from Lake Michigan that has been filtered through charcoal.

Their sales have been steadily increasing, and Koval is becoming a distillery to rival many of the bigger producers, not only in the Whisky category, but also across the Gin, Vodka and Liqueurs markets.

They have recently come out with a new barrel aged version of their Dry Gin, and it is clear to see why their spirits do so well.

This is a new take on one of their best selling and most awarded products. It is made with juniper, angelica root, coriander and rose hip, and also has the added intrigue of deep oak tones.

The nose opens with lots of light floral notes, much like the Dry Gin, but this time with a sweet vanilla aroma.

The juniper berries and sweet coriander can also be detected, giving this Gin a fairly typical opening.

But the oak wood starts to seep through and adds real depth and refinement to the spirit.

The palate welcomes the oak with open arms. It is full of spicy wood tones and lots of vanilla flavours.

The juniper is ever present but mixes well with the oak. They complement each other perfectly.

The floral tones of rose petals and lavender are also very complementary to the oak. They tie in perfectly and make this Gin like taking a summer’s evening walk through an orchard.

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About The Author

My name is Greg, and I’m a brand strategy consultant, writer, speaker, host and judge specialising in premium spirits. My mission is to experience, share and inspire with everything great about gin through my writing, my brand building and my gin tastings.